If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

what are the best sitcoms ever?

Now that Friends is ending, there is a lot of hooplah about this final season that reminds me of the ending of Cheers (which is odd since the Cheers spinoff, Fraiser, is also ending this year and has zero hooplah). So I got to wondering, what are the best sitcoms ever, and by what criteria do we judge this?

The first one that keeps coming up in my mind is "Married... with Children". After the first season, this show became comfortable with taking the elements of everday life and exaggerating them for comedic effect while staying within its own universe. MwC changed the face of TV by being brash and honest and silly and never trying to be more than funny. The series also had the first openly-gay cast member - long before Ellen DeGeneres publicly came out of the closet - and its ratings were completely uneffected by the news even though the network feared it's seemingly all-male audience would be somehow intolerant of this. The network generally didn't think highly of its male audience but that was an advantage because the series could get away with more without drawing the ire of upset sponsors, and Fox never seemed to realize that MwC had a large female viewing audience either so the producers and writers could get more into the shows without worrying about Fox tampering with the series trying to target this other market. The show was often panned by critics, but lasted 10 years and still was its own brand of humor right until Fox pulled the plug.

Darth Vader is becoming the Mickey Mouse of Star Wars.

"In Brooklyn, a castle, is where dwell I"

The use of a lightsaber does not make one a Jedi, it is the ability to not use it.

But one of my favorites is still All in the Family. The show was controversial for it's time, clearly. Dealing with racism, as well as all the other topics the show faced and dealt with over the years. All you have to do is look at episodes like the one where Gloria was assualted. Or the rapist that tries to have his way with Edith on her birthday to see how willing the writers were to push the envelop to deliver a message with each episode. And yeah, it did loose some magic when Meathead and Gloria moved out. Even more so when they left the series entirely. But I still like the later episodes when they started taking care of Stepheny. They weren't as good as earlier episodes, but the one where Archie accepts her Jewish faith and gives her a Star of David necklace still is touching as hell. Without Archie, I doubt we'd have Al Bundy, Peter Griffith, or other characters that push the envelope. Hell, Seth McFarlane notes Archie Bunker on his DVD commentaries as one of the aspects that Peter was based on.

"Woke up at 9.55am. Soon as I woke up, I looked at Suzanne and she looked at me. I said, 'Did I tell you about the immune system?' Suzanne starting laughing, I said, 'it's amazing.' She said, 'Not now.'"

You guys disappoint me. Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place? Dharma and Greg? Reba? Home Improvement?

I would have to say Married With Children, too. I say that, though, as I hardly watch sitcoms on television. I catch my Drew C. and George Lopez (yeah, I like George Lopez, so what? wanna fight 'bout it?) sitcoms when I can, but Al and the gang are tops for me.

"Woke up at 9.55am. Soon as I woke up, I looked at Suzanne and she looked at me. I said, 'Did I tell you about the immune system?' Suzanne starting laughing, I said, 'it's amazing.' She said, 'Not now.'"

You guys disappoint me. Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place? Dharma and Greg? Reba? Home Improvement?

Ooookay... *backing away slowly while nodding reassuringly*

I also watch George Lopez, I didn't really stick with it until last season but it's pretty funny. Only time will tell if it ends up deserving to go on this list.

JJB, are you putting All in the Family on the list because it's genuinely funny based on its situation or like the second half of M*A*S*H where it's teaching important life lessons?

Originally Posted by JJB

Without Archie, I doubt we'd have Al Bundy, Peter Griffith, or other characters that push the envelope.

That's true of Al Bundy for another reason, without All in the Family, they never would have spun off The Jeffersons, and if The Jeffersons had never taken off, 2 of its producers Ron Leavitt and Michael Moye would not have had enough clout to start Married with Children. (of course, they wouldn't have been able to develop Silver Spoons either, but you can't win 'em all.)

Turbo, er...
1) both Leah Remini and the character she plays on King of Queens are not mothers.
2) Leah Remini is only 33.
3) Should I even be allowing that comment on here?
4) Yeah, she's quite hot, I wish her last show "All Fired Up" had survived, it was pretty good.
5) So is that your choice for "best sitcom ever"?

Darth Vader is becoming the Mickey Mouse of Star Wars.

"In Brooklyn, a castle, is where dwell I"

The use of a lightsaber does not make one a Jedi, it is the ability to not use it.

Turbo, er...
1) both Leah Remini and the character she plays on King of Queens are not mothers.She's working on it.
2) Leah Remini is only 33. So!
3) Should I even be allowing that comment on here? What Comment? LOL. You commented.
4) Yeah, she's quite hot, I wish her last show "All Fired Up" had survived, it was pretty good. Never heard of it.
5) So is that your choice for "best sitcom ever"? No, can I vote for South Park? In Living Color kicked *** too, but I will go with SP.